We have updated our children’s agent list and are discussing the pros and cons of a large, power agency vs using a boutique agent with a smaller roster but providing closer personal attention. A list is only a starting place. An actor can only choose between the agents that offer representation, so the list of names is nothing more than possibilities.

We now know that Ryan Lochte ended his time at the Olympics by behaving very badly and then lying about it. Whether he meant any harm or not, he created an international incident that made the Olympic Host City, Rio, look bad and Lochte and his friends look even worse.

Lochte’s swimming accomplishments gave him celebrity status, which for athletes can be temporary. Had his happened any other time, it might not even have made the news. But right after the U.S. team’s big wins, all eyes were on him. Actors need to assume the same thing when they are with friends or out in public. If you are known, people will be watching.

Parents can teach their children from early ages that their are always consequences for their choices. Some are good, and others result in the kind of unwanted attention this incident received. Teenagers and young adults face temptations all the time, but for most, if they make a bad decision, as long as it’s not dangerous or life threatening, there is usually an opportunity to learn from it and move on. Celebrities don’t have that luxury, no matter what age they are. Lochte was not a child. At age 32, he should have known better. The fallout from this will very likely be loss of all endorsements and all future earnings from his time as an Olympiad. We have seen actors make mistakes and recover. Sometimes that happens, but the best solution is to make a choice not to make bad decisions that affect one’s life and others.

Child actors in California are required to have Coogan accounts which can’t be touched until they they turn 18, except to make deposits. Parents need to access other earnings in order for the child to pay for their own acting-related expenses out of their other earnings. The easiest way to do that is to open an additional savings account for the child. But, those accounts don’t offer check writing privileges. A FBO account may solve that problem. For more information, read our discussion.

About once a year we get new questions about homeschooling. Families who move to a larger market, like Los Angeles, either permanently or for part of the school year find it difficult to transition smoothly to a new school. Although this is common when anyone moves during a school year or with a job where a parent is transferred often, it can be challenging for a child or teen to make the change. Leaving friends behind and adjusting to a different schedule or teachers can create a stressful situation that is disruptive to both the school and work careers.

Homeschooling is an option that solves the continuity problem of moving. It’s also easier to adjust the schedule when an actor is auditioning and working. Check out our list of homeschooling programs.

An invitation to a film festival where an actor’s film is featured is exciting, but also a way to network and fit in a few interviews. It’s not an item for an actor’s resume, though. Neither are awards. Since there are no legitimate awards just for child actors, if an actor does get a big nod, like an Oscar or Golden Globe nomination or win, it would be mentioned in the media.

Along with film festivals, walking the red carpet at a big event or opening gives your child industry experience outside the audition room or set. Not everything needs to land on a resume to be important to your child’s career. When your child gets such an opportunity, relax and make it fun.

Actor Thomas Gibson reportedly kicked a writer on the set of his series, Criminal Minds. As a result, he was suspended from work and has now been fired. Acting requires big personalities, and sometimes results in big egos, but a propensity for violence can show up anywhere. The actors who do behave abdominably usually find themselves on the cover of The National Enquirer, and more important, out of a job.

Whether an actor enjoys violence or has no control over his emotions and acts out in a childish and dangerous manner, there should be consequences. Parents of actors have an important job of helping their children grow up and to take on responsibility for their actions and to show exceptional maturity while working. It’s sad that an otherwise successful adult hasn’t learned that same lesson.